Good day…

1. Breaking Down Marc Bulger’s First Game: The Rams’ QB wasn’t good, wasn’t bad, in Seattle. It was an OK performance. He didn’t have a chance to make a lot of plays, and his receivers weren’t exactly running free. I didn’t see many getting open. But Bulger did miss on a couple of plays/throws that should have been made. Bulger had 19 incompletions in the game, and according to STATS LLC, only four were the result of poor throws. That was better than most NFL quarterbacks in the first week. One pass was dropped. One was hit at the line. Eight were broken up by defenders. Three passes were intentionally thrown away. The other two incompletions weren’t categorized. Bulger was good on fiirst down throws (10 of 15) and not so good when he faced 2nd down and a distance of 8 yards or more (3 for 9). Bulger was 1 for 5 passing in the red zone. Only one of his third-down passing attenpts resulted in a first down. Bulger was more effective against the blitz (5 for 9) than throwing in non-blitz situations (12 for 27). There wasn’t much difference between his shotgun-formation passing and non-shotgun passing. When the Rams went with 4 WRs, he completed 3 of 4 for 65 yards. All in all, about what I expected for a QB who started the opener after missing several weeks with a broken finger. Bulger competed hard, and he did a better job (than we saw in recent seasons) of throwing the ball away to avoid a sack. Not much to complain about. Not much to get fired up about.

2. Other Rams Notes From The Opener: According to STATS, Rams starting cornerbacks Ron Bartell and Jonathan Wade each were targeted 8 times, and each gave up 5 completions…. Rams 2nd-year LB David Vobora, who was making his first start at strong-side LB in place of the waived Chris Draft, was targeted for passes 4 times and the Seahawks completed all 4 against him … strong safety James Butler was targeted 4 times and did not allow a completion … Steven Jackson rushed for 67 yards, and 43 of the yards came after contact. That was about a middle-of-the-pack percentage among NFL RBs… Jackson broke two tackles, which tied him for the NFL lead among RBs in the first week… third downs were a huge problem. The Rams offense had the NFL’s worst conversion rate (16.7 %) in the NFL in the first week, and the Rams defense allowed a third-down conversion rate of 53.3 percent, which ranked 25th.

3. Rushing the Ball Based on Down & Distance: I firmly believe the Rams should have made more of an effort to run the ball at Seattle; Jackson had only 9 first-half carries and 16 rushing attempts overall. Of course, even the most  basic of constructive criticism brings out the Rams apologists, so I had to chuckle at listening to the radio and hearing the predictable defense being made for the Rams’ out-of-sorts play calls against the Seahawks. The excuse being made for offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was this: the Rams couldn’t run the ball more, because all of the penalties put them in too many second-and-long, third-and-long situations. OK, let’s forget the spin; here’s the reality: Steven Jackson and the Rams did ther best work in those situations Sunday. Jackson had 6 carries for 45 yards on second-down plays. When the Rams faced 2nd down and 8 yards or more, he rushed 4 times for 21 yards. On a 2nd down and 11+ yards to go, Jackson had a 22-yard run. When the Rams put three wideouts on the field — to suggest that a pass was coming — Jackson carried 7 times for 39 yards. The point? Jackson can do a lot of damage on so-called passing downs and formations. In fact you can burn the defense by utilizing him in such a way. There is absolutely no need to eschew the run when the down and distance aren’t favorable. If anything, when you run when the defense isn’t expecting it, you can get Jackson away from situations where he’s going up against eight defenders in the box.

4. The Cardinals 2010 Schedule is a Joke: The Cubs don’t visit STL until Aug. 13? Are you kidding? This is one of the great rivalries in baseball, so someone should remind MLB. Can’t help but notice that the NY Yankees open the 2010 season at Boston, and the Red Sox make their first appearance at Yankee Stadium in mid-May. This is what it’s supposed to be with the tradition-rich rivalries. You’re supposed to promote them, nurture them, celebrate the great game of baseball with them. You’re not supposed to treat the Cards vs. Cubs as if it’s some kind of Brewers-Pirates or Nationals-Braves matchup. MLB and influential partners ESPN and FOX Network are thrilled to showcase the Yankees vs. Red Sox, and they are delighted to give fans in those markets a consistent schedule that ensures the grand rivals will see each other in a timely, fairly regular basis. But that apparently does not apply to Cardinals vs. Cubs. And you wonder why folks in the Midwest believe there’s an East Coast Bias? Disgraceful.

5. Bernie Bytes: If I had to vote for the Cy Young award today, the top line would go to Tim Lincecum, who is No. 1 in the NL in ERA, Fielding Independent ERA, strikeouts, OPS against; is tied for first in complete games and shutouts, and is second in IP and other categories. He’s also 26th in run support. But I don’t have to make that decision today; Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are in the race…if John Smoltz has another setback, and if Kyle Loshe can’t get right, or if Smoltz is pressed into bullpen service, the Cardinals should not dismiss Jaime Garcia as a 4th starter. (But they will; Garcia won’t be considered) … The excellent FX network series, “Sons of Anarchy” certainly didn’t waste any time, stirring things up at the start of the second season… Richie Incognito and Kanye West — I’m thinking you probably wouldn’t want to put them in the same room… the Rams missed a chance to find a potential No. 2 running back when they allowed RB Gartrell Johnson to be claimed on waivers by the NY Giants. Johnson, from Colorado State, was the San Diego Chargers’ fourth-round draft choice in April. He finished 13th in the nation in rushing last season, can catch the ball, and is a hard runner between the tackles. Johnson had a terrific camp for the Chargers rushing for 187 yards and catching seven passes in four games. The Chargers, though well-stocked at RB going into the regular season, took a chance in releasing Johnson but planned to bring him back. Too late; the Giants swooped in to claim him. He’ll be the third back behind Brandon Jacobs and A. Bradshaw. The Giants surely know RB talent; their record in the area is outstanding. If a legit Super Bowl contender like the NYGs wanted Johnson, that tells me all I need to know.

I will likely have more to say and write after today’s Marlins-Cardinals game.

Thanks for reading…

-Bernie